Though the fairly recent explosion publicly has been proclaimed contained by the governments of the EU and the United States the reality was that things were far more tenuous then actually were. Many nations that had involved themselves in containing the outbreak had lost men, soldiers, scouts.. and sons to the enroaching diseases that threatened to undo the entire Paris Metro area. One of the greatest weaknesses to the containment program however was a poorly kept secret.. the catacomb tunnels underneath the city. For those brave enough to venture them there was a wealth of loot and danger to stumble upon down there.

Yet sometimes these dangers take more than an arm or a bit of your dignity...

The F.B.C within the past few days have begun an active campaign to try and retake control of the catacombs and the containment zone and part of that campaign was clearing out the catacombs. One team did not make it back. The F.B.C of course over the next 2 days sent out scouts and the like to check things out but when those individuals were not reporting in either they were forced to make a tough decision..

First the F.B.C could try bombing thethe place. That risked collapsing the tunnels and possibly risk the entire containment zone breaking free.

Unsuprisingly the second option was far more appealing.. deniable assets. There were multiple survivors from the RC incident and perhaps even from the Heavenly Abyss. Equip a team of mercenaries to clear out and figure out what is going on down there.. and find the lost patrol.

Some individuals like Nick Fox and James Scott would likely of gotten a formal meeting to try and hire them.. maybe a bit of cash thrown there way and a goading prod or two to do the right thing. Emma might just be an unlucky victim finding herself caught in the cross fire exploring.. or possibly hired as well to support the group.

And our local F.B.C Liason Vivienne? Well she of course had the unfortunate assignment of making sure these three chucklefucks didn't spill any secrets or worse yet.. Compromise the mission!

Either way, the rendezvous point would no doubt be somewhere inside the catacombs.. not too far in of course, and Vivienne would likely of been debriefed with a map on the approximate area to go to.

Emma came to help, aka, with medical stuff. The girl isn't a fighter. But if people are hurt the doctor will be there! She does have a gun - which looks out of place on her. Her medkit is with her, and black leggings with a black top are worn. Her last venture here was frightening, likely this'll be the same. But the red head is ready, just in case.

Vivienne gazes down at the map in her hands, her rifle slung over her shoulder. She glances around, a slightly disgusted look on her face before she turns to address the people with her. "Alright, the patrol went in here, and I'm hoping they're hiding out down here somewhere close by." A beat. "Lets stay close, move together and if you spot something that looks out of place, speak up. Quietly." She raises an eyebrow and glances around. "Any questions?"

When the D.S.O. got word that the FBC was looking for something less, shall we say, formal, they reached out to one of their agents. Nick Fox, Raccoon City survivor and agent, had been working multiple leads on the black marketeer that had enabled them to create the dirty bomb that had attacked Paris. He was already in the area, it was easy for the DSO to set up a meeting through one of their intermediaries. Nick had accepted of course, returned to his safehouse to equip himself, and then arrived at the rally point, loaded for bear.

"Heard you guys got a bit of a personnel problem." He says, upon his arrival, looking at Vivienne since she is the one running the op, "Rules of engagement?"

Of course when James found out Vivienne was assigned to the venture into the belly of the beast he planned on coming along even if it meant sneaking in. Luckily for him he was contacted by government agents and hired on as a mercenary to officially accompany the group.

And that's how the figure clad in black armor that Emma identified as Balor on the last mission came to be here amongst the group. His face is not visible but his weapons are, a carbine, two pistols, a knife at his side, and a vicious looking baseball bat.

"I've got a few things to say." The man speaks up, voice distorted through his respirator. "There's no telling what we'll be dealing with down here. I doubt it'll be more hunters, worse situation we'll be dealing with tyrants or lickers. If that is the case, I won't be making any promises that everyone will make it out alive." His words are cold, but delivered the way only one who has dealt with these horrors could. "Lickers themselves are blind, hunt by sound and smell. So we'll need to be quiet just in case. Tyrants are a whole different matter, and the best advice I can give is to not let them get their hands on you. Absolute worst case scenario is we run into something different and more terrifying."

He reaches into the pouch at his side and produces a bottle of Scent Killer pro, which he tosses over to Vivienne. "If we're smart about this we'll make it out in one piece."

The spot the group will be meeting at is indeed one of the earlier ante chambers in the area. The undead had likley been cleared from this area.. the F.B.C and the random idiot survivors were pretty thorough in this regard in making sure the area was clear.

The question was.. how does the group want to get to the area i nquestion? Quickly? Sneakily?

"If we do find something down there, we take it out, quietly would be better but I'm not going to be picky as to how." Vivienne says to Nick, catching the bottle tossed at her. "Cover the medic and move quietly, lets try to keep the advantage as long as we possibly can." She uses the bottle and holds it out to Emma before she pulls goggles down over her eyes.

Emma, also being here on TerraSave business, is more off to the side. If she is patching someone up, sure, she would be useful. But for this, likely not so much. She shuffles her medkit, grey-green eyes looking around. So many dark memories of this awful place. She sighs a little, and awaits instruction. A delicate hand goes to take the bottle Viv hands off to her.

"Low and slow. Fangs out." James says with a slight nod. He takes up the bat at his side as well as the flashlight, illuminating the tunnel. "Watch for stray bones and rocks, we'll try to be as quiet as possible." With that said he moves to take point, putting himself between the group and any unknown dangers. "Ready when you all are."

Drawing his Samurai Edge from the holster built onto his plate carrier, Nick nods in response to the group. He looks at James, tilting his head a little bit but shakes it off, pulling up into position near the back

"Lets keep the medic in the middle so she doesn't get snatched up by something sneaking up on us." He figures if he pulls up rear guard, he'll probably get attacked first if something does sneak up on them, and he can take it.

VIvienne brings her rifle up, her eyes on her feet at the moment, making a decent attempt at not stepping on something that will make noise. She nudges Emma between her and James and gives her a quick wink as they move out.

The Scottish lass passes a glance to Nick, nodding a little. When nudged in by Viv and being shoved in between her and James, she smirks at the wink some, and brings her flashlight up to, to give more light.

"Alright, eyes and ears open." James says, the bat swinging up to rest on his shoulder. With nothing left to say he starts forward, moving further into the sea of bones and death. Living dangerously was something he was getting used to, but the tunnels unnerved even him sightly.

As the group makes their way through the tunnels.. things seem to be progressing well. As well as a bunch of flightslight wielding gorillas can manage that is. Emma might find that the ground underneath her is particuarly uneven more than once as she moves... no doubt causing substantial amounts of noise to reverberate through the catacombs.. yet nothing happens right away.

The trip might take several minutes, possibly even an hour to reach the area that the map specified as the most likley source of the missing patrols.

The Map was wrong.

Yet there was however things of note. Broken weapons, dismembered arms, blood scattered and sprayed across the wall. The signs of bodies being dragged on the ground.. with trails of blood leading deeper into the catacombs...

Whatever was killing the patrols in this area was no doubt taking what was left of them back for a snack.. or to infect them. Who knows?

Vivienne nudges an arm with her booted foot, her lips pressed in a thin line. "That's fucking great." She whispers, kneeling slightly to press a gloved finger against a blood splatter to see if it's still tacky. She gazes around, using as many senses as she can trying to ascertain if something is nearby. She keeps the slow pace with the folks in front of her, gun ready for use.

"Well that's more horrifying than usual." Nick says, as he looks over the carnage that has been left before them, "I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. Only way to be sure." Sure tha's not actually an option, but oh does he want it to be.

James clips the light onto his belt and takes a moment to look around. "Yeah, we're dealing with something other than your standard walkers." he decides as he investigates the scene. "There's a den around here. We could try and lure them out or we could go and fight them in their home, which I wouldn't suggest."

His attention moves to Nick at that comment. "Already lost one home like that. Rather avoid it again, even if I have to kill them all myself."

Emma isn't winning. The dances grace fails her. She continues on, though. "Ba - Balor," States the lassn in her thick Scottish accent. "I - I was just thinkin' that, not seen a zombie do this - this sorta damage before." She frowns steadily, and looks over her shoulder to Nick. "Aye, same." She to lost her home like that. "Bu - but, it'd make life eaiser, ta destroy this thing.." A hand moves to her pistol, the two like puzzle pieces that don't fit. "I bet I'm makin' 'nough noise ta get their attention."

Vivienne glances at James and then gazes towards the darkness ahead. "We should set up here and try to lure them in. The last thing we want is to walk into their home." She glances at Emma and doesn't say that the noise probably already has them on the way. No reason to make Emma feel bad. "Anyone have a better idea?"

"Form a firing line behind me." James instructs the others. "I'm gonna bring them out." The teen moves ahead to where the corpses seem to have been drug and takes up Lucille in both hands. "And those undead were friends and family, sometimes we forget that." This is said quietly once he's far enough away.

"Cinctus." he calls back before starting to slam the bat into the cave wall. If they hadn't heard them approaching, they sure hear them now.

"Hold on a sec." Nick is gonna swap weapons just in case something bigger than a zombie shows up. He holsters his pistol and from his pack draws a folded up assault rifle, which he unfolds and loads, "Okay. Lets rock."

Ironically the Mercenary Team's ambush plan? Was kind of already underway.. just the shoe was on the other foot. The origonal racket that had gone on in the catacombs while coming here had apparently alerted a small smattering of beastial creatures.. Pink fleshy abominations without eyes. Their skin, covered in thick purple veins and dripping with a thin coating of sticky mucus. What might be a mouth dominated by a large probisious like muscle that flops easily from their mouths.. though moves about.. almost like a trunk.. or a nose.

Of course Only Nick Fox catches sight of the beasts truly before shit hits the fan..

James Scott might catch the blur of sudden movement out of the corner ofh is eye of course as one of them lashes out to attac with their tongue from a range.. no doubt trying to grab hold of prey to be dragged.. and strangled up into the air.

Emma and vivienne of course.. are far less lucky in regards to being caught unprepared.

The attacks come almost out of nowhere... and while James Scott and Nick fox are able to dodge the lashing tongues that try and wrap around their throats and arms to drag them into the air.. the F.B.C Liason? Vivienne? Well she is not in a good position. SHe'll feel the tongue wrap around her throat and try and drag her up into the air, tugging against ehr to strangle her as the beast remains on the ceiling.

As James goes about beating the bat against the wall he looks up just in time to catch a flash of movement. "Oh shit!" the teen shouts, rolling aside as a nasty elongated tongue slams into the wall, causing a portion of it to bust loose. He raises his bat to go after it, but catches sight of Vivienne being lifted into the air.

Suddenly it's the water treatment plant all over again. The momentary freeze before he takes off and tries to smash the thing's tongue gives it all the time it needs to maneuver it's fleshy appendage out of the way, causing the bat to connect with nothing but air.

The holes in the ceiling are spotted out of Nick's periferal vision, but it's enough. He turns from his position and shifts his weight to roll, just as one of those licker tongues comes shooting out of the hole at him, striking the ground where he had been.

"So much for silence." He mutters, as he raises his rifle up to his shoulder from a kneeling position. One of them got Viv, and he's gonna try to get her free. Using the XM8's built in sight, he angles the weapon towards the tongue that's wrapped around her, tracing it up closer to the mouth of the offending BOW.

He squeezes a single round from the weapon, aiming to strike straight through the creature's tongue, and either sever it entirely, or at the very least make it drop its prey.

Things are moving fast, and before she knows it, there are three lickers. Emma jumps a bit, with panic. James and Nick are there first, their better trained for combat. Luckily, Viv got free. Doesn't mean the Scottish lass isn't about to help. Quickly a hand takes up her gun, eyes - yes, eyes close briefly, then open as she aims, and shoots.

Vivienne is yanked off her feet and only luck keeps the rifle's strap on her arm. She brings her hands up and tries to pull herself free, but the lack of oxygen is quickly robbing her of options. A flash and suddenly she's on her ass, scrambling back towards the others. She raises her gun and takes sight, but the first shot goes wild, hitting the wall. The second shot, however, takes the licker right through the gut. It blows a hole big enough to toss a tennis ball through.

Even as one of the abominations manages to get his slimy and gross.. and some might say slightly acidic organ around Viv's throat.. the beast is soon shot off and eventually nearly blown out. Organs begin to rain from the ceiling, as blood pours. First the left hand will slide off the wall.. then the back left leg.. and then the beast will fall face first onto the ground. The sickening sounds of bones crunching as it hits the cobblestone and rock floor then sounding out.

The beast's two peers however seem not at all dissuaded by their friend's fate.. even if their own tongue attacks have failed. Their bodies tensing and preparing for.. well..

Vivienne takes a knee, sights the second licker and she brings her rifle up. She fires off one shot, and when it takes the licker in the chest, she follows it up with a second that hits it between the eyes, dropping it to the ground dead.

The third and final licker.. turning, at a split second to notice as the final one of it's peers is splattered and left crumpling to the floor... either in rage or panic.. launches itself at Vivienne, trying to tackle the woman and lash into her with claws, each attac striking and poking at her form, no doubt trying to locate flesh to find purchase in

Have you ever heard a Barret .50 go off? Have you ever heard one go off inside a very tightly confined area? Yeah. Nick stumbles when the sniper rifle tears to life, his shots going wild as the sounds reverberate around, "Jesus fuck who brings an anti material rifle to a CQB fight?!"

There's a howl of rage as Vivienne is once again targeted by the Licker and James rushes it. The movement causes the light on his belt to fall off and shut off, shrouding the fight in darkness aside from the other's flashlights.

The teen swings the bat at the creature's head but it manages to avoid the first strike. Unfortunately for it it was just a feint and the hard wood and barbs come slamming down onto the beast's back, breaking it. With the Licker injured the bat comes down onto it's head once more, caving it's skull in and causing it to bite it's on tongue off.

"You alright?" the teen asks, ripping his respirator off and looking down at Vivienne. In the darkness it becomes quickly apparent that the kid's only eye is a smoldering crimson that's actually glowing.

Even as the final Licker goes down.. one cannot help but notice the sounds of footsteps.. and moaning. No doubt the gunfire drawing the undead created by the Licker horder towards the group. Perhaps they might be overwhelmed.. perhaps they might be destroyed..

Yet escape would be fairly easy, probably.

The glint of a gunbarrel... held within the gunches of a hand.. totally without a body might shine off and glint to Emma, even as she might consider her options for escape... such luck unavailable to her peers.

Vivienne nods to James, as she gets to her feet, her armor has seen better days though. She shoulders her rifle and shakes her head. "We can't stay here, we need to get out. Now." She considers one of the grenades on her belt as she starts to back towards the way that they came. "Might be time to bring down some of these tunnels though."

"Good." James pulls Vivienne in for a quick kiss. Never know when it'll be your last. "Give me the grenade, you all get moving. Don't want the explosion to cave us in." He seems firm about that, kneeling to retrieve his flashlight. "Before you argue, I'll be fine. Just giving you guys a head start."